POLICY ACADEMY STATE PROFILE

Pennsylvania October 2012

Pennsylvania Population

PENNSYLVANIA POPULATION (IN 1,000S)—AGE GROUP

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010

Pennsylvania is home to nearly 12.1 million people. Of these, almost 4.6 million (35.9 percent) are over age 50; 2.7 million (21.3 percent) are over 60; more than 1.4 million (11.1 percent) are over 70; and 617,000 (4.9 percent) are over 80. The proportion of women rises to 65 percent of those 80 and older. The racial/ethnic composition of Pennsylvanians is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity of Pennsylvanians

Source: U.S. Census Bureau Projections, 2009

THE NUMBER OF OLDER PENNSYLVANIANS IS GROWING (POPULATION IN 1,000S)

The proportion of Pennsylvania’s population that is 60 and older is growing more rapidly than other components of the population. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that 27.5 percent of Pennsylvania’s population will be 60 and older by the year 2030, an increase of almost 28 percent from 2012. (Please note: The figure at right begins with the year 2000 whereas the table below begins with the year 2012.)

Projected Pennsylvania Population

Source: U.S. Census Bureau Projects, 2009

Source: U.S. Census Bureau Projections, 2009

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Suicide Among Older Pennsylvanians

2005–2009 NATIONAL AND REGIONAL SUICIDE RATES PER 100,000 POPULATION

The five-year average suicide rate among Pennsylvanians ages 55 and older is lower than the rate in the 20–54 age group. Pennsylvania’s rates are akin to national rates and slightly higher than rates in regions 1–3, which include Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, U.S. Virgin Islands, Vermont, Virginia, and West Virginia. Region 3 includes Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia.

Please note: States may vary in their reporting practices regarding suicide deaths. The apparent rate of suicide is influenced by these reporting practices.

The District of Columbia is not included in regional data.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Vital Statistics, 2009

PENNSYLVANIA SUICIDE TREND

Source: CDC Vital Statistics, 2009

The two-year moving average rate of suicide among Pennsylvanians ages 55 to 74 has varied from a low of 11.2 per 100,000 in 2001–2002 to a high of 14.7 in 2008–2009. The rate for 20–54-year-olds shows similar variations but remains consistently above the rate in the 55 and older group.

Please note: States may vary in their suicide reporting practices and may vary in practices from year to year within the same state. The number of suicides is generally low, so even a small difference in reported numbers may make the rate appear to fluctuate widely.

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Older Pennsylvanians’ Substance Use/Abuse 30-DAY BINGE DRINKING AMONG OLDER PENNSYLVANIANS—GENDER

Source: Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS),

2011

Duke Medicine News (August 17, 2009) notes that binge drinking can cause “serious problems, such as stroke, cardiovascular disease, liver disease, neurological damage and poor diabetes control.” Binge drinkers are more likely to take risks such as driving while intoxicated and to experience falls and other accidents. Older people have less tolerance for alcohol. Therefore, the figure at left defines a “binge” as three or more drinks in one event for women and four or more for men. Binge drinking is higher among men in all states. In Pennsylvania, 15.2 percent of men ages 50 and older engage in binge drinking whereas 9.6 percent of women ages 50 and older reported binge drinking. The overall rate of binge drinking among this age group is 11.6 percent. Confidence intervals for national and state estimates are less than ±0.2 and ±1.0 percent, respectively.

30-DAY BINGE DRINKING AMONG OLDER PENNSYLVANIANS—AGE GROUP

Binge drinking tends to decrease with age: 16.5 percent of Pennsylvanians ages 50–64 reported binge drinking, whereas 7.2 percent in the 65 and older group reported similar behavior. Confidence intervals for national and state estimates are less than ±0.2 and ±1.0 percent, respectively. The table below provides a breakdown by age group and gender.

Percentage of Pennsylvanians Reporting Binge Drinking by Age and

Gender

Source: BRFSS, 2011

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ILLICIT DRUG USE AMONG OLDER AMERICANS

Nationally, illicit drug use has more than doubled among 50–59-year-olds since 2002. The rate rose from 3.4 to 7.2 percent among 50–54-year-olds and from 1.9 to 4.1 percent among 55–59-year-olds. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), “These patterns and trends partially reflect the aging into these age groups of members of the baby boom cohort, whose rates of illicit drug use have been higher than those of older cohorts.” Specific data about substance abuse among older Pennsylvaniaans are not available; however, the SAMHSA National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) (http://www.oas.samhsa.gov/2k9state/Cover.pdf) provides general information about

substance use in Pennsylvania.

Source: NSDUH, 2010 Volume 1, Summary of National Findings

DRUG-RELATED EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT VISITS INVOLVING PHARMACEUTICAL MISUSE AND ABUSE BY OLDER ADULTS

SAMHSA’s Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality periodically releases reports from the Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN). DAWN comprises a nationwide network of hospital emergency rooms (ERs) primarily located in large metropolitan areas. DAWN data consist of professional reviews of ER records to determine the likelihood and extent to which alcohol and drug abuse was involved. According to the November 25, 2010, DAWN Report:

In 2004, there were an estimated 115,803 emergency department (ED) visits involving pharmaceutical misuse and abuse by adults aged 50 or older; in 2008, there were 256,097 such visits, representing an increase of 121.1 percent

One fifth (19.7 percent) of ED visits involving pharmaceutical misuse and abuse among older adults were made by persons aged 70 or older

Among ED visits made by older adults, pain relievers were the type of pharmaceutical most commonly involved (43.5 percent), followed by drugs used to treat anxiety or insomnia (31.8 percent) and antidepressants (8.6 percent)

Among patients aged 50 or older who visited the ED for pharmaceutical misuse or abuse, more than half (52.3

percent) were treated and released, and more than one third (37.5 percent) were admitted to the hospital (italic text is

taken directly from the report, available at

http://www.samhsa.gov/data/2k10/WebSR018Pharma50+/Pharma50+HTML.pdf).

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ADMISSIONS TO SUBSTANCE ABUSE TREATMENT AMONG PENNSYLVANIANS AGES 50 AND OLDER

Source: Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS), 20101 Data include only those admissions reported to TEDS

In 2010, Pennsylvania reported 5,856 admissions to substance abuse treatment among those ages 50 and older. This represented a rate of 128.2 admissions per 100,000 population. However, state reporting practices have a strong impact on the apparent rate:

73.2 percent of admissions were men.

71.1 percent of admissions were White.

23.3 percent of admissions were Black/African American.

3.9 percent of admissions were of Hispanic descent.

33.2 percent of admissions were referred to treatment through the criminal justice system

TREATMENT ADMISSIONS AGES 50 AND OLDER—INSURANCE TYPE

More than 30 percent of individuals ages 50 and older who were admitted to substance abuse treatment reported that they were covered by the Pennsylvania Medicaid program or private insurance. These sources were reported as the expected source of payment in more than 50 percent of the admissions. In nearly 40 percent of admissions, the expected source of payment was reported as “other.” Other expected payment sources were as follows:

Source: TEDS, 2010

1 TEDS data are collected by states that accept Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment (SAPT) Block Grant funds. Guidelines suggest

that states report all clients admitted to publicly financed treatment; however, states are inconsistent in applying the guidelines. States also have freedom to structure and implement different quality controls over the data. For example, states may collect different categories of information to answer TEDS questions. Information is then “walked over” to TEDS definitions.

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TREATMENT ADMISSIONS AGES 50 AND OLDER—SUBSTANCES USED

Alcohol was by far the most frequently used substance among older Pennsylvanians in publicly financed substance abuse treatment in 2010. Alcohol was mentioned as the primary, secondary, or tertiary substance of abuse in nearly 75 percent of admissions among those ages 50 and older. Alcohol was followed by cocaine at 25.6 percent, heroin at 12.0 percent, marijuana at 15.6 percent, and opiates/synthetics at 10.5 percent.

Please note: TEDS data include only those clients reported to SAMHSA.

Source: TEDS, 2010

TREATMENT ADMISSIONS AGES 50 AND OLDER WITH CO-OCCURRING MENTAL HEALTH

DISORDERS

Source: TEDS, 2010

Research shows a strong relationship between substance use and mental health disorders. Studies show 30–80 percent of people with a substance use or mental health disorder also have a co-occurring substance use/mental health disorder. Pennsylvania chose not to report the existence of co-occurring disorders to TEDS as is recommended by SAMHSA. Therefore, the figure at left shows the rates reported by other states in Pennsylvania’s regions.

Please note: Data include only those admissions reported to TEDS.

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Mental Health

PENNSYLVANIANS AGE 65 AND OLDER ADMITTED TO STATE MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES

Source: Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS) Uniform Reporting System (URS), 2011

Nearly 6 percent of the people served by the Pennsylvania mental health system were ages 65 and older (2.2 percent were ages 65 to 74 and 3.5 percent were ages 75 and older). This represents a total of approximately 28,500 people. The figure at left shows penetration rates per 1,000 population whereas the data cited above refer to the percentage of individuals within the service system.These and other data about Pennsylvania’s mental health system are available at http://www.samhsa.gov/dataoutcomes/urs/2011/Pennsylvania.pdf.

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PENNSYLVANIANS AGES 50 AND OLDER REPORTING FREQUENT MENTAL DISTRESS—GENDER

Source: BRFSS, 2011

BRFSS, a household survey conducted in all states and several territories, asks the following question: “Now thinking about your mental health, which includes stress, depression, and problems with emotions, for how many days during the past 30 days was your mental health not good?” The CDC defines those individuals reporting 14 or more “Yes” days in response to this question as experiencing frequent mental distress (FMD). Older women in the nation and the region are more likely to report FMD. Overall, 10.2 of Pennsylvanians ages 50 and older reported FMD: 11.4 percent of women and 8.4 percent of men. Confidence intervals for national and Pennsylvania estimates are less than ±0.2 and ±1.0 percent, respectively.

OLDER PENNSYLVANIANS REPORTING FREQUENT MENTAL DISTRESS—AGE GROUP

Pennsylvaniaans in the 50–64 age group—as in the nation and the northeast region—were more likely than those in the 65 and older group to report FMD: 12.7 percent in the 50–64 group and 6.8 percent in the 65 and older group reported FMD. Confidence intervals for national and Pennsylvania estimates are less than ±0.2 and ±1.0 percent, respectively. The table below provides a breakdown by age group and gender.

Percentage of Pennsylvaniaans Reporting FMD by Age Group and Gender

Source: BRFSS, 2011

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OTHER MEASURES OF MENTAL HEALTH

BRFSS collected other measures showing risk factors for mental and/or physical illness. These included:

Social and Emotional Support (2010). BRFSS asked, “How often do you get the social and emotional support you need?” Responses included always, usually, sometimes, rarely, or never .

Life Satisfaction (2010). BRFSS asked, “In general, how satisfied are you with your life?” Responses included very satisfied, satisfied, dissatisfied, or very dissatisfied.

Current Depression (2006). In 2006, BRFSS included a special anxiety and depression module that was collected in 38 states and several jurisdictions, including Pennsylvania.

Lifetime Diagnosis of Depression (2006). BRFSS asked, “Has a doctor or other healthcare provider EVER told you that you have a depressive disorder (including depression, major depression, dysthymia, or minor depression)?”

Lifetime Diagnosis of Anxiety Disorder (2006). BRFSS asked, “Has a doctor or other healthcare provider EVER told you that you have an anxiety disorder (including acute stress disorder, anxiety, generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic attacks, panic disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, or social anxiety disorder)?”

The results of these surveys among older Pennsylvaniaans are shown in the table below.

BRFSS MEASURES, 2010

Age Group

Ages 50+ Ages 50–64 Ages 65+

Indicator Data % Confidence

Interval Data % Confidence

Interval Data % Confidence

Interval

Core BRFSS Indicators (2010)

Rarely or never get social or emotional support (revised)

9.6 (9.3–9.9) 7.4 (7.1–7.7) 12.4 (11.9–12.9)

Very dissatisfied or dissatisfied with life (revised)

5.0 (4.8–5.2) 6.1 (5.8–6.4) 12.4 (11.9–12.9)

Anxiety and Depression Optional Module Indicators (2006)2

Current Depression 8.8 (7.4–10.5) 10.9 (8.9–13.4) 5.4 (3.8–7.4)

Lifetime Diagnosis of Depression

14.2 (12.7–15.9) 17.0 (14.8–19.4) 9.8 (7.8–12.3)

Lifetime Diagnosis of Anxiety Disorder

10.1 (8.8–11.7) 11.7 (9.8–14.0) 7.6 (6.0–9.7)

2 Data available at http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/MAHA/StateDetails.aspx?State=PA.

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PEOPLE WITH FREQUENT MENTAL DISTRESS REPORT POOR PHYSICAL HEALTH

Source: BRFSS, 2011

Older Americans who experienced FMD were more likely to report that their physical health was poor or fair (as opposed to good, very good, or excellent). As shown in the figure at left, although 18 percent of older Americans with no mental distress reported poor or fair physical health, nearly 60 percent—nearly triple the rate—of those with FMD reported poor/fair health. Older Americans with FMD were also much more likely to report that they had experienced serious health problems.

These differences are statistically significant.

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MENTAL DISTRESS AND SERIOUS HEALTH PROBLEMS

Older Americans who experience FMD, such as symptoms of depression or anxiety, are more likely to report that they had chronic health problems. People with FMD experienced strokes at twice the rate of those with some or no mental distress (10 percent versus 5 percent). They experienced coronary disease, heart attack, and diabetes/pre-diabetes at more than 1.5 times the rate of those with some or no mental distress (13 versus 8 percent for coronary disease and heart attack and 30 versus 18 percent for diabetes/pre-diabetes). These differences are statistically significant.

Source: BRFSS, 2011

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DATA SOURCES

BEHAVIORAL RISK FACTOR SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM (http://www.cdc.gov/brfss/), CDC. Atlanta, Georgia: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2010 and 2011. BRFSS is “the world’s largest, on-going telephone health survey system, tracking health conditions and risk behaviors in the United States yearly since 1984. Currently, data are collected monthly in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Guam.” BRFSS data are collected by local jurisdictions and reported to the CDC.

NATIONAL SURVEY ON DRUG USE AND HEALTH (https://nsduhweb.rti.org/), Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality. Rockville, Maryland: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, SAMHSA, ICPSR32722-v1; Ann Arbor, Michigan: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2011-12-05.

doi:10.3886/ICPSR32722.v1. NSDUH, managed by SAMHSA, is “an annual nationwide survey involving interviews with approximately 70,000 randomly selected individuals aged 12 and older.” NSDUH data are most frequently used by state planners to assess the need for substance abuse treatment. NSDUH data also include information about mental health needs.

NATIONAL VITAL STATISTICS (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss.htm), CDC. Atlanta, Georgia: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2009. The CDC Web site describes the National Vital Statistics System as “the oldest and most successful example of inter-governmental data sharing in Public Health and the shared relationships, standards, and procedures form the mechanism by which NCHS [National Center for Health Statistics] collects and disseminates the Nation’s official vital statistics. These data are provided through contracts between NCHS and vital registration systems operated in the various jurisdictions legally responsible for the registration of vital events—births, deaths, marriages, divorces, and fetal deaths.”

TREATMENT EPISODE DATA SET (http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/icpsrweb/SAMHDA/), Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality. Rockville, Maryland: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, SAMHSA. Treatment Episode Data Set—Admissions (TEDS-A), 2010, ICPSR30462-v2; Ann Arbor, Michigan: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2012-07-18. doi:10.3886/ICPSR30462.v2. States that participate in the SAPT Block Grant submit individual client data to TEDS. TEDS includes both admission and discharge data sets, and some 1.5 million admissions are reported annually. TEDS includes information about utilization of substance abuse treatment services as well as client demographic and outcome information.

UNIFORM REPORTING SYSTEM (http://www.samhsa.gov/dataoutcomes/urs/), CMHS. Rockville, Maryland: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, SAMHSA, 2011. States that receive CMHS Block Grants are required to report aggregate data to URS. URS reports information about utilization of mental health services as well as client demographic and outcome information.

U.S. CENSUS BUREAU (http://www.census.gov/people/). Two main sources of Census Bureau data were used in this report: (1) population estimates and (2) population projections. Population projections and estimates were created using 2010 Census data.

This profile was developed by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration in partnership with the U.S. Administration on Aging.